


Because in the end, I have you

by insieme



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec lives in London, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Internet Friends, Light Angst, Long-Distance Friendship, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Magnus lives in New York, Salec BROTP, Soulmates, They Make It Work, True Love, all that good stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 17:18:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13415928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insieme/pseuds/insieme
Summary: Magnus and Alec are in a long distance relationship, having met online but never in person. They've known each other for years but because of their jobs have never been able to meet each other.But Alec gets an opportunity to travel to NYC for his job, putting them in the same city.





	Because in the end, I have you

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Angels!
> 
> This is based on a concept I created and decided to run with ... enjoy! Thanks to the heartbreakers for editing this for me :') 
> 
> If you're live tweeting you can tag #insiemes
> 
> A [Russian Translation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13498426) can be found here!

_**Distance means nothing, when someone means everything. -Unknown** _

 

“So there’s this top that looks nice with these jeans, but I love the burgundy one because it makes my - Alexander are you even listening to me?” 

Alec blinked back into attention, focusing on his boyfriend, who’s pixelated form was currently glaring at him. He grinned. “Sorry babe, I was a little distracted. You look really good today.” A sly smile crept onto Magnus’ face. “Like, _really_ good.” 

Magnus’ expression softened, head shaking fondly. “What am I going to do with you, hm?” 

Alec laughed. “I can think of a few things …” 

Magnus snorted, throwing the clothes onto his bed and sitting in front of the computer so Alec had an even better view of his face. He looked stunning today, as he did every day, in a pair of black jeans and nothing else. His hair and makeup were done fully, glitter and black kohl surrounding his striking amber eyes. Alec was supposed to be helping him pick a shirt for the day, but who could blame him for getting distracted when his boyfriend looked like _that_? “Darling, get your head out of the gutter. Or else I’m going to be late for work. Again.” 

Alec smirked, letting out a soft chuckle but shook his head. “If you let me finish, I would have told you that you could hold me and kiss me and cuddle.” He shrugged. “But I can get on board with the other stuff, too.” 

Magnus’ expression turned soft. Alec knew that he, like Alec himself, was thinking about all of the miles that separated them. 3,462.42 miles to be exact. London was a beautiful city and Alec loved living there, he loved the vibrance and the culture and the people. It was what had drawn him to it in the first place, the pull of travel calling him to explore. But as beautiful as his city was, he often found himself hating it for the sole fact that it was so far from New York. 

Alec moved to London when he was eighteen, fresh out of high school. A combination of wanting to get far away from his parents and the burning desire to travel the world fuelled him, choosing to pursue a study abroad program for journalism. The goal had been to get away for three to five years and then return home but his love for the city had kept him here permanently. Now, seven years later, he had an apartment and a job and a cat. His entire life was here. 

Well, half of it. The other half of him was living in New York. 

Magnus and Alec had met on Twitter of all places, almost two years ago. They had connected through a mutual follower and began talking, first through their mentions and then transitioning to direct messages. Direct messages rolled into into texts, calls and eventually Skype, never a day going by that they weren’t in contact somehow. It was amazing, having an online friend, someone who didn’t know you in person but still wanted to know you all the same. Someone you could go to about your day that didn’t have any biases, someone that just listened and was there. 

For Alec it was nice too, for being a native of New York, he missed the city terribly. As much as he loved traveling, the bustle of New York always called to him and Alec had loved it there growing up. It was a case of ‘you don’t know what you have until it’s gone’ and now that he couldn’t leave London, he ached for it, for the rush of cars and never ending hum of activity. He relied on Magnus for his fix, telling him about his day, no matter how mundane. 

Alec spent his days working for a publishing company, something that he was incredibly passionate about. Every since he was a child, Alec had loved reading, and now he got to do it for a living. The company was still in its first decade, and wasn’t all that big yet but it was expanding more and more every single day. Since Alec had started working there, they had almost expanded to almost three times their original size. He loved his job, he really did and realistically he knew that he could work in publishing anywhere, but he wasn’t yet willing to leave the job he had created for himself here. 

But that got harder when he realized that he had feelings for Magnus. A lot harder. 

About a year into their friendship, things started to change. Goodbyes got longer, conversations got deeper and Alec knew he couldn’t fight the feelings that was overcoming him even if he tried. But it turned out he needn’t have worried because had Magnus felt the same way. 

It was safe to say that his relationship with Magnus was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The revelation that he was in love came as a bit of a shock to Alec, who’d always associated the feeling with hand holding in the park, dates and passionate kisses. But he had fallen in love with Magnus slowly, day by day, text by text, without ever laying a finger on him. Without ever being in the same country, the same time zone. And it was scary and so, so new but it was new for Magnus too, so it was something they got to experience together. 

So the transition from best friends to lovers was made, and it was easy. They still talked every single day, all day, the only differences being a lot more ‘I love you’s were exchanged, and the added benefit of internet sex, another thing neither of them had explored before. 

Now, a few weeks before their first anniversary, Alec was the happiest he’d ever been. His relationship with Magnus, physical or not, was easily the best he’d ever been in. Some days were harder than others and there had been times when both of them wanted to call it quits, frustrated with the whole thing. But they never did. They never gave up, they continued to fight. Nights were often the hardest, knowing that Magnus too, was alone on the other side of the ocean and more often than not, Alec fell asleep in the tshirt Magnus had sent over. Any way to feel close to him. They worked through it all though, because they meant so much to each other and they both knew that even though they were continents away, they wouldn’t want anyone else but each other. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Magnus queried, smile soft. “You were so quiet I thought the connection was frozen.” 

Alec smiled back, finger running over Magnus’ face on the screen. He could imagine the feel of him, warm skin beneath the pad of his finger, rougher as he swiped over the stubble. “Just thinking.” He mused. “I miss you.” 

Magnus nodded in understanding, eyes locked on Alec’s face. “I miss you too, my Alexander.” Those 3,462.42 miles crept back into Alec’s mind, and he hated every single one of them for keeping him from the love of his life. For keeping him from touching Magnus, holding his hand, kissing him. 

They were broken out of the moment however, by Magnus’ phone chirping on the bed beside him. “Shit,” he cursed, looking apologetically to Alec. “My ride's here, I have to go. I love you, have a good rest of your day at work.” With a quick blown kiss, Magnus ended the call, leaving Alec with just his own reflection staring destitutely back at him. 

He huffed out a sigh, checking his watch. He still had about ten minutes before his lunch break was over and he needed to get back to work. He leaned back in his desk chair, closing his eyes and allowed himself a moment to imagine a world in which Magnus would kiss him goodbye before running out the door, where he would smile into Alec’s lips and tell him that he would see him when he got home. A world where Alec didn’t have their separate time zones memorized and where one of them didn’t have to stay up late into the night or wake up a few hours earlier just to talk to the other. 

“Mr. Lightwood?” Alec’s eyes flicked open, fantasy vanishing in a cloud of smoke. Standing in the door was his assistant, looking at him with a timid smile. “Mr. Aldertree asked me to fetch you for a meeting. It’s urgent, apparently.” Alec nodded, running a hand through his hair and closing the skype tab. He stopped before closing the lid of the laptop though, his background picture stopping him. 

It was a picture of Magnus that he had sent over a few weeks prior; he was standing in front of a storefront, _his_ storefront, with the biggest smile on his face as he pointed up to the sign. Magnus was a wedding planner, the most sought after in New York, and had recently just opened up his own office, finally moving out from under the company he was in before. Alec couldn’t be more proud of him if he tried. 

“Mr. Lightwood?” Alec looked up, realizing his assistant was still waiting for him. 

With one last glance at his screensaver, he closed the lid of the laptop and stood up, straightening his suit jacket before heading off to his meeting.

Aldertree was waiting in his office when Alec arrived, his back to the door. “Come in.” He called when Alec knocked. Alec had been working for Aldertree for years and in that time, he had never made any effort to develop any sort of relationship with him, or any of his employees for that matter. Alec hardly ever saw the man, let alone talked to him, save for monthly progress meetings and the occasional pass in the hallway. 

So he was a little nervous to be specifically called into his office. 

“Mr. Lightwood, take a seat.” Alec sat down, fidgeting nervously with his watch. Aldertree still had his back to Alec, hands clasped behind his back as he looked out the window. It was tense and awkward. Alec so badly wanted to say something but held tongue, waiting quietly in his seat. 

Finally, his boss turned around, serious expression on his face. “Alec, you’ve been with us a long time.” And well … that wasn’t a typical start to a conversation. Unless that conversation ended in someone getting fired. Oh God, Alec was definitely getting fired. He had no idea what he had done wrong; there was that one time he came in an hour late, but he had been talking to Magnus late the night before and - 

“Yes, sir. Five years now.” 

“You’re one of our best employees.” Not the typical way to fire someone, but Alec could feel the ‘but’ hanging over his head, waiting for it to drop. 

Alec needed this job. Besides the fact that he loved it, he couldn’t afford to go job hunting right now. Institute Publishing was the most successful in the UK and Alec wasn’t ready to let that go. Of course, this could be a blessing in disguise. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but getting fired could be the best thing to happen to him right now. Because he would have to go job hunting, but maybe … he could go look in New York. 

Suddenly an ever growing part of Alec hoped he was getting fired. 

Alec held his breath, waiting for Aldertree to continue. His mind was buzzing with possibilities; he would have to get an apartment, or maybe he and Magnus could share? Were they ready for that? And he would have to bring all his stuff over, oh God and what about -

“We would like to offer you a promotion, Mr. Lightwood.” 

His train of thought ground to a halt, brakes slamming at full force. A _promotion_? Any thoughts of apartments and moving were gone, replaced but a sudden weight hanging heavy in his chest. Of course Alec wanted to further his career, and he didn’t know what this promotion entailed but it was probably something that would push him in the right direction, but accepting this promotion would be putting the final nail in the coffin on ever living in the same city as Magnus. There would be no way he could leave after this. 

He must have looked a mix of shocked and scared because Aldertree rounded the desk, standing in front of Alec. He gazed down at Alec seriously, arms crossed over his chest. “Don’t look so surprised, Alec. Surely you knew this was coming?” Alec wordlessly shook his head. His boss hummed. “Well, we’ve been in the process of trying to reach more authors over the past year, authors outside of the United Kingdom. We need a liaison of sorts, someone who would be willing to do a bit of traveling to find us some new talent.” He raised an eyebrow. “Does that sound like something you would be interested in?”

“Traveling?” Alec asked quickly. “Um - where, exactly?” 

Aldertree picked up a file off his desk, flipping it open. “Well, there are a few different places we’ve heard from, but right now there are a handful of prospective authors from the Big Apple that we’re looking at.” Alec could hardly hear him with how hard his heart was beating. “I figured you’d be the best choice to send, growing up there and all. It’s been a while since you’ve been home, right?”

He nodded, not trusting himself to do anything else. _New York_. They wanted to send him to New York, for work, to do his job. 

They wanted to send him to his home city. To _Magnus’_ city. 

It was surreal to the point where Alec felt like he was floating through the whole process. One minute he was shakily telling his boss he was interested and the next they were drawing up a contract, Alec signing his name in black pen with a trembling hand. Aldertree continued to talk his ear off about flights and accommodations and Alec listened as best he could, but the growing giddiness in his chest made it hard to concentrate. He was elated and jittery, mind supplying him with images; seeing Magnus in person, looking into his eyes face to face, finally able to appreciate the full beauty of them, holding Magnus’ hand and feeling the heat of his skin. _Touching_ Magnus. 

It was too much and not enough all at once. 

Just over an hour after Alec ended his conversation with his boyfriend, he was leaving his bosses office with paperwork and dates to put him in New York for two weeks. Two days before his and Magnus’ one year anniversary. 

Never before had Alec let himself go as far as to imagine spending their first anniversary together, for at the time it was such an unattainable goal. But the file tucked under his arm not only made it possible, made it real. It was happening. 

Alec was going to New York. 

 

***

 

Three weeks later, Alec was giving his suitcase one final check over when his phone started to ring on the bed. Practically throwing himself across the mattress to get to it, he deflated slightly when he saw that it wasn’t Magnus, but Simon. “Hey, Si.” He grumbled.

Simon laughed on the other end. “You think a man who was coming back home in less than twenty four hours would sound a little bit more excited.”

Alec rolled his eyes, tucking the phone into the crook of his neck and going back to his suitcase. “Of course I’m excited, idiot. I was just hoping it was someone else calling.” He heard Simon’s outraged cry and laughed. 

“Watch yourself, Lightwood! You might want to treat your best friend slash brother-in-law a little better than that, especially considering he’s waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to pick your sorry ass up from the airport.” Simon jabbed back, teasing lilt obvious in his voice. Simon and Alec had always been like that, jesting and teasing each other at any chance they could, any excuse to get a rise out of the other. Before they had become friends in high school, there had been a point where they genuinely didn’t get along, but they realized pretty quickly they actually had a lot in common and a fast friendship was born. It also got better when Isabelle and Simon started dating, and eventually married, because there was no one Alec trusted more with his sisters heart than his best friend in the world. 

“Yeah, yeah you’re the best. I don’t know what I would do without you, blah, blah blah.” Simon spewed some expletives at him from the other end of the line, telling Alec exactly where he could ‘shove it’. Alec just grinned. “Anyway, was there a specific reason you called? I’m a little busy packing at the moment.”

“I -” Simon stopped, the line going quiet. Alec felt the tension creep into the conversation before his friend even started speaking. “I was just making sure that you know … that there wasn’t anyone else you wanted to pick you up tomorrow. Maybe someone who doesn’t know you’re coming. Someone you should _tell_ that you’re coming.” He didn’t miss the emphasis Simon put on the words, his message conveyed loud and clear. 

Guilt twisted heavily in Alec’s gut and he sank down onto the edge of the bed. Because Simon was referring to Magnus, whom had not even the slightest idea at all that he and Alec would be in the same city in less than a day. 

It wasn’t like he had planned on not telling Magnus. Quite the opposite actually. He’d had every intention of telling Magnus the very minute the decisions were made final, so as not to get either of their hopes up. He would tell him during their nightly Skype call, first telling him about the promotion and then where he would be going. He had even dug out an old ‘I heart NYC’ ball cap that he was going to wear, to make Magnus laugh. 

When he got on the call with Magnus though, the words died out in his throat, unable to get past his lips. His mind provided him with a rush of thoughts as to why it was a bad idea; they weren’t ready, the magic would be lost once they met in person, Magnus wouldn’t love him as much once he actually met him. Thought after dubious thought clouded his mind and he knew he couldn’t tell Magnus. Not yet. And so he had listened to Magnus talk about his day and the wedding he was working on, the old hat staring accusingly at him the entire time.

He would tell him eventually. He just had to wait for the right time. 

But now, Alec was hours away from leaving and the love of his life still had no idea that he was coming. 

Both Simon and Isabelle had endlessly tried to encourage him to be honest (Isabelle more in a forceful way, threatening to find Magnus herself and tell him), assuring him that Magnus loved him and that nothing would change that when they finally met. But Alec had been unable to accept it, always coming up with another reason as to why it was a bad idea, telling himself that it was better this way. They worked so well online, why would Alec want to ruin that?

He knew he was being a chicken, backing out only because he was terrified, letting his self doubt get the better of him. He was fully aware, but couldn’t convince himself to make the right decision, no matter how badly his heart was screaming at him to do so. 

“No, Si. I’m sure.” He could feel his own heart breaking at the words, but he had to remind himself it was better, it was better this way. What he and Magnus had was magic, and when Alec got back from New York in two weeks they would still have that, Magnus not knowing the difference. “My flight lands at eight in the morning.”

It was for the better. 

He could hear the slight drop of disappointment in his friends voice when he responded but was grateful when Simon dropped it, moving on to something else. Because Simon always seemed to know what Alec needed, he continued to chat his ear off about Isabelle, who was over the moon excited to see her brother. He told Alec his sister had talked of nothing else since they found out he was coming, making Alec smile. He was excited to see her, too. They talked all the time, but the last time he had seen her in person was when he had come home for her wedding, three years ago. 

The way Simon talked about Isabelle made him smile. He was so animated whenever he spoke about her, and Alec could clearly hear the love in his voice, the dreamy way he practically sighed her name. He had to admit, they were downright adorable. He listened to Simon talk as he threw the last of his items in his bag, closing it up and placing it by the door for the morning. As happy as he was for both of them, he couldn’t help the irrational feeling of jealousy that flared in his chest. They never had to worry about the things he and Magnus did. They took for granted the simple feeling of holding hands, morning kisses and tender touches. They didn’t know what it was like to crave that so hard that it was almost painful, like if you didn’t get that touch, that kiss, you would die. 

Alec shut his eyes, a single tear slipping down his cheek. He needed to get himself in check. He was taking his aggression at himself out on Isabelle and Simon and that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t their fault that he was too scared to meet Magnus. 

He must have missed something Simon said because his friend was calling for his attention. “Alec, you okay buddy?” 

Alec shook his head again, trying to get his thoughts in order. He cleared his throat before answering. “Yeah, uh - I’m good. Just a little nervous, you know? It’s been a while since I’ve been home.” 

He could practically see Simon’s reassuring smile. “I know, Alec. I know. But don’t worry, okay? Iz and I will be with you the entire time. It’s all going to work out in the end.” Simon had the decency not to question Alec, not to argue that there was obviously another reason why he was nervous to come home. 

Alec bid his best friend goodnight, unable to stop the smile that spread across his face when he said ‘see you tomorrow’. Because tomorrow he would be seeing his best friend, and his sister and that made all of this worth it. 

Hanging up the phone, Alec fell back onto the pillows. He let his eyes drift shut, sleep washing over him like a wave. His anxiousness for the next day was won over by his desperate need for sleep, exhaustion taking hold of him quickly. 

Just before he fell out of consciousness though, his phone buzzed, still clutched tightly in his hands. Blearily, he brought it up to his face and unlocked it, smiling despite himself when he saw Magnus’ name. 

_Goodnight baby, I love you more than words. Have a good sleep. Xx_

Sleep overtook him before he had the chance to respond, eyelids heavy as if weighted down. He drifted off with a smile, Magnus’ face in his mind.

 

***

 

Alec was reminded just how much he hated flying when he finally stepped through the gate at JFK the next morning. Besides the fact that it was far too early for anyone to be awake and functioning, security, lines and rude commuters had been more than enough of a rude awakening. 

But his mood lifted considerably when the crowd cleared and he saw Simon, Isabelle at his side with a giant, handmade sign that read ‘Welcome Home Alec’. His smile practically split his face, tears filling his eyes as he pushed through the crowd and ran towards them. Isabelle reached him first, taking a running leap into his arms, wrapping herself around him like a koala. Alec caught her easily, laughing into her shoulder as he spun them in a circle. 

“Hi Iz.” 

“Hello, big brother.” 

She pulled back a fraction and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. “I missed you.” 

Alec gave her a watery smile. “I missed you more.” She grinned, hopping down and moving aside for Simon, who jumped at Alec very similarly to his wife. Alec let out a surprised cackle when his best friend jumped at him, legs wrapping around Alec’s waist. Both of them were laughing hard even though they almost fell to the ground in the process. Imitating Isabelle, Simon gave Alec an exaggerated kiss to his cheek, loud smack making them all chuckle. 

Alec set Simon down with an exaggerated eye roll, but couldn’t keep the fondness from his features. “Hello to you to, Si.” Simon grinned back at him.

They helped Alec with his bags, walking to the car. Isabelle and Simon couldn’t stop talking, both of them interrupting each other to try and get a word in. Alec laughed, listening as best he could. 

They decided, since it was so early, that they would go out to breakfast to catch up. Simon drove them to a diner that Isabelle and Alec had gone to every weekend as kids, Taki’s. Alec smiled, nostalgia rising in his throat. It was hard to believe he was here, he was home, in the city he had grown up in with two of the people he loved most in the world. 

He forced himself not to think of the third, whose absence Alec felt like a hole to his heart. 

They sat down in a booth and Alec told them all about his promotion and his new role as a liaison. Basically he would be the eyes and ears on the ground, scouting out the new talent and sending his feedback to London where they would make the final decision. The way Aldertree had described it, Alec would be traveling all over the world, meeting authors and reading their work. 

“Alec, that’s amazing!” Isabelle exclaimed, beaming. “It’s your dream come true, getting to travel the world to do your job!” 

Alec shrugged. “It’s going to be an adjustment, but I think it’s going to be something that I really enjoy.”

Isabelle flicked her eyes to her husband, before looking at Alec, coy smile on her face. “And how often will you be coming to New York?” 

Alec sighed. He had been expecting this conversation sooner or later. Both of them hadn’t mentioned Magnus once since Alec landed, but he knew the reprieve would only last so long. “I don’t know, Iz. Maybe a few times a year?” 

She shrugged. “Better than no times a year, no?”

Alec looked to Simon for help, but found his friend looking at him with a similar expression. “C’mon, Alec. This is the perfect opportunity for you two. It’s not ideal, but it’s so much better than never, right?” 

Running a hand through his hair, Alec let out a frustrated sigh. “Guys, I know, believe me. I haven’t stopped thinking about how amazing this could be for Magnus and I’s relationship since I got the news. Being with Magnus - like really being with him - has been something I’ve wanted since I first started talking to him. But -” he looked them both in the eye. “- things change in person. It’s impossible for you two to understand, but I know things will be different.” 

Isabelle’s brows scrunched together. “Different how, Alec? You love Magnus, just as I love Simon. The fact that you’ve never met him doesn’t change that. I know for a fact that the moment Magnus sets eyes on you in person, he’s going to fall even more in love. Because he _loves_ you Alec, and he’s stuck around through all the hard times for the sole hope of being with you for real one day.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And now that that day has come, you want to throw it all away because you’re too scared?” 

Alec blanched, taking in the scolding he had gotten from his sister. The first thing that popped to his mind was, “I’m not scared.” 

But he knew the moment the words left his mouth that they were a lie. Isabelle and Simon knew too, but had the decency not to say anything.  
Alec dropped his head into his hands, breakfast forgotten. “Okay, so let’s say I’m scared. What do I do?” 

It was Simon who spoke up this time. “Hello? You go get your man, of course!” Alec looked at him, eyebrows raised at his brazen. Simon shrugged, guileless. “What did you expect? Alec, that man is probably waiting at home right now for you to text or call him, just as I know you are because you keep checking your phone under the table.” Alec flushed, placing his phone on the table guiltily. “Instead of calling him, why don’t you go to his place?” 

“I -” Alec opened his mouth to object, but nothing came out. Because honestly, he wanted nothing more. He wanted to knock on Magnus’ door and pull him into a hug and know what he smelled like. He wanted to feel Magnus’ skin beneath his fingertips and look into his eyes with nothing between them but air. He wanted to kiss him, to hear the surprised gasp when their lips crashed together, to feel Magnus’ fingers in his hair as he kissed back. 

“I have to go.” He whispered, breathless.

Simon and Isabelle exchanged a look, before beaming at Alec with matching smiles. Alec was out the door in a second, barely hearing their calls of good luck behind him. 

 

***

 

Alec was breathless by the time he got to his final destination. 

He had run what seemed like the entire city of New York, hadn’t stopped running until he arrived and now he was here and the only thing he knew for sure was that it was time to stop running. 

The black gold trimmed door stood tall like a giant wall in front of him, the only thing blocking him from his boyfriend. 3,462.42 miles had shrunk down to practically nothing, to only a few feet and this damn door. 

A door Alec couldn’t bring himself to knock on. 

As much as he wanted to, Alec hadn’t run right here after leaving the cafe. He had wanted this to be perfect which meant he had had to make a few stops first. In his left hand he held a box of Magnus’ favourite pizza, from the place down the street from his apartment that he talked about constantly. In his right, he held a bouquet of flowers - magenta and baby blue lilacs - Magnus’ favourite. Both hands though, were shaking so hard Alec worried he would drop what he was holding.

It was hard to breathe. This moment had been two years in the making; two years of late nights, two years of whispered secrets on the phone that no one else knew, two years of laughs and jokes and teasing, of snatched conversations before bed and early in the morning, two years of sleeping alone, of fights and makeups, of the worst times and the absolute best. 

But above all, it had been two years of so much love. 

And now it was all coming to a head, the moment all of it had been leading to from the very beginning. 

Alec was losing his shit. 

He closed his eyes, picturing Magnus’ face, so full of love and happiness. He pictured his smile and how bright it would be when he opened the door. His nerves immediately lifted, fading out and were replaced with the need to see Magnus, more powerful than anything else Alec had ever felt in his life. He took a step forward, an almost out of body experience overtaking him. He watched as his hand raised to the door, knuckles rapping on the wood twice before stepping back. 

His heartbeat rushed in his ears, white noise muddling his senses but through it all he heard footsteps on the other side of the door. _Magnus’_ footsteps. He was so close, he was almost there Alec could -

The door swung open. 

Looking back on the situation, Alec would be quite embarrassed to note that he had come very close to feinting. That his first real life interaction with his boyfriend had almost been him calling an ambulance for Alec and trying to shake him awake. 

Luckily he hadn’t feinted. He came close, but had thankfully remained conscious. 

But, he had dropped the pizza box, something Magnus would tease him about for years to come. 

The sound of the pizza hitting the ground barely registered in Alec’s mind, for _Magnus was standing in front of him_ , and he looked like the angel himself come to Earth. It may have been Alec’s imagination but he was sure that there was a beam of light shining down on Magnus from above, illuminating his already beautiful features in warm light. 

He was dressed in one of his silk robes, the red one, that Alec loved so much, tie loose on his waist leaving much of his chest exposed. His hair was flipped to one side, no gel in it and his face was free of makeup. 

Gods, Alec loved him so much. 

Magnus looked about as stunned as Alec felt, tea cup in hand, yet he hadn’t moved an inch since he opened the door. Alec fought for something to say, but everytime he thought of something good, it was gone, brain short circuiting. Seeing Magnus in person had seemingly sent his brain into haywire, as if someone had poured coffee on his keyboard and he was rushing to do damage control to keep his systems online. 

Magnus swallowed thickly, took a deep breath, swallowed again and cleared his throat, eyes never once leaving Alec. He had finally seemed to collect himself marginally, at least more than Alec himself had, and he had actually been somewhat prepared for this. 

“Al-Alexander?” He asked, like he wasn’t all sure that Alec was real in front of him or just a figment of his imagination. He cleared his throat once more, words coming out surer. “Alexander?” 

Alec smiled timidly, hardly aware of his own actions. His brain was still rushing to catch up with the situation, but a smile was easy. Familiar. Alec was often never not smiling when he was with Magnus. 

“Hi” he breathed out, almost a whisper. 

That seemed to shock Magnus once more, mouth forming a perfect ‘o’, as if hearing Alec’s voice had made him that much more real. “It’s you.” 

Alec nodded, feeling more confident. His vision was no longer blurry and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, although much fainter than before. “It’s me.”

“What - how?” Magnus stuttered, looking Alec up and down like he couldn’t quite figure him out. Alec was doing much of the same thing, looking at Magnus as though it were the first time - when in reality, it was sort of was. 

Alec licked his lips, nervous. “I uh, well my promotion.” He waved his hands aimlessly. “They wanted me to travel for work and um, well - I’m traveling.” It was quite possibly the worst explanation for his situation know to the history of man, but Magnus seemed to understand all of it perfectly, nodding. 

“H-how long?” 

Alec knew the answer to this one. “Two weeks.” Magnus’ eyes widened, small smile twitching his lips. God, his lips. Alec had been too overwhelmed to notice them before but now that he had he wondered how he had ever noticed anything else. 

And if he was being honest, he also wondered why they were still so far away from each other. 

Magnus blinked slowly before letting out a soft chuckle. “Now I know why you didn’t answer my text message.” 

Alec smiled, and then grinned and then found himself unable to stop laughing, standing in the hallway staring at Magnus with uncontrollable laughs bubbling out of him. Magnus too, was laughing, both of them unable to catch their breath. 

Alec collected himself first, laughter dying out, leaving them both staring, longing to move closer but terrified to do so. The pizza box was still on the ground where Alec had dropped it, so he bent down to pick it up, offering it and the flowers to Magnus with a shy smile. “I uh - I got these for you. I figured, well … if you weren’t busy, we could have lunch?” He looked at his watch. “Or brunch, since it’s early.” 

Magnus bit his lip in an effort to contain his smile. “Are you asking me out on a date, Alexander?” 

Alec smiled back, shrugging. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

Magnus’ playful expression suddenly turned serious. “Well,” he mused, pulling his phone out, “I’ll have to ask my boyfriend and make sure it’s okay with him.”

Alec clapped a hand over his mouth, Magnus having surprised a laugh out of him. Magnus brought his phone to his ear, eyes locked on Alecs. Not even a second later, Alec’s own phone started ringing. He fished it out of his pocket, gaze locked to Magnus’. “Hello?” 

“Hi. I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“There’s this beautiful, adorable and handsome man on my doorstep with flowers and pizza asking me out on a date. I told him I need your permission.” 

Alec pondered the question. “Beautiful, adorable _and_ handsome, you say?” Magnus made an affirmative noise. “Well, who am I to deny you all of that?” 

“So that’s a yes?”

“That’s a yes.”

Magnus hung up the phone, sliding it into the pocket of his robe. Alec did the same, fitting it into his pocket. “So … he said yes.” 

Alec laughed, breathless. “Well, this must be my lucky day.” Magnus reached out to grab the box and flowers, taking them from Alec with a smile before disappearing into the apartment. Alec stood on the step, unsure of whether he should follow Magnus in or wait. 

Magnus returned a few minutes later though, hands empty. Alec could feel the desire to reach out and touch thrum through his fingers like a magnet, desperately trying to get to Magnus. It took physical effort to keep himself from flying into his arms, much like Isabelle and Simon had done to him this morning. But Magnus was staying where he was and so was Alec, following the other man’s lead. 

The air between them crackled with electricity and tension, the pull getting impossible to ignore and harder to stave off. Magnus’ eyes were on a continuous track between Alec’s eyes and his lips and Alec was finding it hard to concentrate on anything but the man in front of him and the best way to get rid of the distance between them. 

Because 3,462.42 miles was now just a step and half away. No oceans, no continents, no timezones, no screens and no doors. Just a step and a half. 

Alec and Magnus stepped forward at the same time, completely closing the distance, and Alec’s skin erupted in fireworks. Magnus’ hand was on his bicep, the other one at the nape of his neck, both of Alec’s locked on his hips. He could feel every point of contact; their chests, their thighs, their hands, their lips. 

Because the overwhelming feeling of touching Magnus had completely distracted Alec from the fact that he was _kissing_ him. Alec was kissing Magnus. Magnus was kissing Alec. 

It was so much better than Alec had imagined. It was soft and sweet, yet savoury and spicy all at once. It was too much and not enough, making Alec’s head swirl dangerously. Kissing Magnus was unlike anything Alec had ever experienced before in his entire life, like falling into a deep abyss and flying so high in the sky your breath caught in your throat. He pulled Magnus impossibly closer, hips flush together, and someone moaned, though Alec couldn’t say who.

Magnus pulled back first, needing air, and Alec chased his lips, not wanting to part for even a moment. Now that he had Magnus, now that he was touching Magnus, he never wanted to let go. Surely, they could get through life that way? 

Magnus put a hand on his chest, giggling as he gently pushed Alec back. “Hey,” he whispered, panting, “hey, hold on. I want to look at you.” He pulled back enough to see Alec’s face, framing it in his hands. His thumb danced over Alec’s cheekbone, smoothing along the skin. “Beautiful.” He murmured. 

Alec’s breath caught in his throat, and he let out a content sigh. He brought his hands up, mirroring Magnus’, running his thumb right under his boyfriends eye. “Your eyes look even more beautiful in person.” Magnus nuzzled his cheek into Alec’s hand, closing his eyes with a smile. Emotion overflowed his heart, spilling and leaking over his entire body. “I love you, so much.” Alec whispered, just for the two of them. 

Magnus’ eyes opened and Alec fell in love all over again, the pure intensity of them overwhelming him. “I love you, too. More than anything, Alexander.” 

He was about to lean in, when he stopped, grinning. Magnus raised his eyebrows, smirking. "Yes?"

Alec dropped down, kissing Magnus lightly on the cheek. "Happy anniversary." 

Magnus' answering smile threatened to burst his face, but he couldn’t stop it. "Happy anniversary, indeed." He leaned up and captured Alec's lips in another soft kiss, walking them back into the apartment by the lapels of his jacket. 

They had time to sort out what would come next later, but for now, the only thing on both of their minds was soaking up the love they shared. 

 

***

 

**2 Years Later**

“Alec, stop moving or I swear to God.”

Alec rolled his eyes, but stood still as Simon fixed his bowtie. But not even two seconds later he was being scolded once again, shifting from foot to foot. “Sorry!” Alec apologized, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m nervous, leave me alone.”

Simon shook his head, muttering under his breath. Alec rolled his eyes. “Excuse you, but it’s your job as my best man to help me in times of nervousness, not” he waved his hand, “whatever you were doing there.” 

Simon chuckled, finishing off Alec’s bowtie and turning him towards the mirror. “As your best man, I’m here to tell you you have nothing to be nervous about. And -” he grinned, “you look great. Your fiance isn’t going to know what hit him.” 

Alec had to admit, he looked good. He was in a cream coloured tux, white shirt underneath, with black slacks and a matching bowtie. Isabelle had done his hair in what she referred to as the ‘messy but sexy’ look, which Alec could probably replicate just from rolling out of bed. 

He smoothed his hands down the sides of the suit jacket, fixing the lapels and straightening the bowtie. He knew that Simon was right and that he had nothing to worry about, but nerves still fluttered in his stomach. Because this was the beginning of forever, the beginning of everything. 

Alec had never felt more ready for anything in his life. 

He turned his back to the mirror, facing Simon with a grin. “I’m ready. Any last words of advice?”

Simon shrugged, smirking. “Go get your man, Lightwood.” 

The venue looked stunning - considering Magnus himself had planned the wedding, with the help of Isabelle whom he had taken quite the liking to over the past two years. They had chosen a theme of blue and gold, colours that wouldn’t normally go, but somehow Magnus had made look beautiful. The walkway to the altar was covered in a cream runway, blue and gold petals littered along the way. At the end of each row of chairs was a bouquet of flowers that matched the ones in Magnus and Alec’s breast pockets, and the ones Isabelle, Catarina and Clary held in their hands. Fairy lights were strung up along the roof, illuminating the room in a soft, warm glow. 

Alec stood at the altar, Simon by his side. He could see Magnus’ family as well as his own sitting in their seats, smiling encouragingly a him. He caught the eye of Magnus’ stepfather Luke, who gave him a wink. Alec grinned back. 

All too soon, music filled the small hall. 

Isabelle was first to come down the aisle, gold form fitting dress making her look incredibly beautiful. She beamed at Alec, kissing him once on the cheek before taking her place across from her husband. Magnus’ best friend Catarina followed, dressed the same as Isabelle. She gave Alec a playful wink, before taking her spot in the centre as officiant. 

Everyone stood, anticipating the arrival of the groom, all eyes going to the doors at the back of the room. 

Magnus stepped out and Alec’s breath caught, feeling like he was seeing Magnus for the first time all over again. 

He was dressed similarly to Alec, though his jacket had glitter embroidered into it and the outer seam of his pants had a gold strip of sequins down the side. His hair was spiked up and highlighted with a gold strip, matching the liner around his eyes, making that much more enchanting. Alec could see - all the way from the back - the tears already building in Magnus’ eyes. 

Simon squeezed his elbow, causing him to blink his own tears away. “Breathe, Alec.” Alec did as he was told, unaware he had been holding his breath. 

Magnus made his way down the aisle, his sister Clary on his arm, same dress as the other girls. She beamed next to Magnus, squeezing his arm tightly. 

Alec couldn’t comprehend how lucky he was, time slowing down a fraction as he tried to take it all in. How a series of events had led him to this moment, marrying the man he loved. How Alec’s promotion had originally brought him to New York, and then ended up keeping him here when Aldertree realized how new talent there was. How he had set Alec up with a new contract that allowed him to work from New York, only coming back to London for yearly visits. How easy making the move from London to America was, moving into an apartment with Magnus and their two cats. How after that day, everything had fallen together and all of a sudden they were both proposing, at the same time, crying and laughing as they tried to talk over each other. 

How that fateful day when Alec had decided to retweet one of Magnus’ tweets had led to him becoming the happiest man on Earth. 

Magnus arrived at the altar, and Alec stepped down to take his hand, helping him up. Magnus’ answering smile stole Alec’s breath. 

They stood holding hands, Magnus squeezing his fingers tight, Alec squeezing just as hard, as Catarina talked them through the ceremony. Alec would be lying if he said he heard every word she said, too busy grinning at Magnus to notice much else. He did pay attention though when it was time for the vows. They had decided to write their own, but hadn’t shared them with anyone beforehand. 

Magnus went first, pulling the prepared sheet from the breast pocket of his jacket. He unfolded the paper with shaking hands, glancing to Alec who shot him a sly smile.

“I sat down for a long time thinking about what I was going to put in my vows. I knew I loved you, that much was obvious, but I didn’t know how to put that into words. So I went back through some of our original emails and spent an entire afternoon reading through them.” Alec laughed, shaking his head fondly. “I thought reading the first one you sent me would be appropriate.” 

_Dear Magnus,_

_It’s Alec, from Twitter. I’ve been following you for a while and have always wanted to talk to you, but I’ve been too nervous. Following you on Twitter, that is, not in real life. That would be creepy. Though I’m pretty sure we live in different countries. Anyway, I’m Alec and I hope after that abomination of an email, you still might want to be friends._

_Alec_

The whole room erupted into laughter and Alec’s face heat up, but he smiled anyway, because he remembered sending that email and regretting it minutes later, thinking Magnus wasn’t ever going to talk to him. But he had. 

“That might be my favourite email I’ve ever received from you, Alexander. But as well as my favourite, and the first, this email is special to me because this is when I realized I was in love with you.” Alec felt the tears before they dripped down his cheeks and he choked on a sob, smiling so big he could hardly see. “So Alexander Lightwood, I want to formally thank you for that abomination of an email, and sincerely, from the bottom of my heart express how much I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” 

Alec shook his head, trying to collect himself. He let out a deep breath, hastily wiping the tears from his cheeks. He pulled his own paper from his pocket, keeping one hand locked in Magnus’ while he read. 

“Magnus, before I even knew you, I loved you. Before you, I never really believed in true love or soulmates but I am happy to say that I found both of them in you. From the very first time I saw you in my notifications, I knew I was a goner and when you responded to that email? Well, lets just say I’ve been planning this wedding for a long time.” Chuckles resounded in the room, Magnus grinned. “I, too looked back through some of our old conversations when writing my vows. Going back and seeing how we fell in love was like falling in love all over again. One message in particular stood out to me. This was sent right after that Skype call when I had finally gotten the courage to tell you how I felt.” 

_Alexander, never before did I think we would get here, yet I am so happy we did. I hoped everyday for the past year that this would become something and now that it has, I cannot express how happy I am. I don’t care about the miles between us, because I know one day they’ll be gone and it’ll just be us. Until that day, I’ll be patiently waiting. Goodnight my love._

Magnus had tears streaming freely down his cheeks now and Alec knew if he glanced around the room, there wouldn’t be a dry eye. He put the paper down, gripping Magnus’ hands in his. “I want to thank you for never giving up on us, no matter how many miles there was. I love you more than I loved you that day, and tomorrow I’ll love you more than this. You’re my forever, Magnus Bane.” 

Magnus let out a wet laugh. “Good thing I wore waterproof mascara.” Alec laughed with him, as did their friends and family. 

Rings were exchanged and Alec finally, finally got to kiss the groom. He got to kiss his husband. 

Finding Magnus had felt like a once in a lifetime event. But now, seeing their entire lives spread out before them, Alec couldn’t wait for the rest.

**Author's Note:**

> After all that tooth rotting fluff, I need to go to the dentist ... What did you think?
> 
>  
> 
> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/insiemes) xx


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